Kukla's Korner Hockey

Montreal blueliner P.K. Subban won the Norris Trophy as the National Hockey League’s best defenseman last year playing mostly with Josh Gorges and Francis Bouillon. However, that hasn’t stopped everyone from debating whether or not he should be on Team Canada for the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. What shouldn’t be debated is that he and new defensive partner Andrei Markov now form the league’s best defensive pairing.

Subban and Markov only shared 73 minutes of ice time during even strength last year, but they made the most of it, helping Montreal outscore opponents 6-1. This season they have shared almost 400 minutes and each skate more than four minutes per game on the power play. In addition, ignoring special teams and lead-protecting situations, the Habs see more than 54 percent of shots in their favor. When they are on the bench those same linemates drop down to 48 percent. And it should be noted these aren’t soft minutes, as Subban and Markov are often matched against the opposition’s top scoring line.